The raging sun this summer cooks my brittle skin

to get me to play the game of chasing shadows —-

shades of grey —- inviting, alluring, seducing

to make me seek refuge into a minefield

of multiple nuances of meanings and feelings

where sharply sculpted words

peep in and out of hidden cracks.

I stand back into a steel stillness

that embraces my retreat

into a protective pause